A Chance of Change
by UnlightedShadows
Summary: When Harry sneaks out to find some comfort in the park in Privet Drive, he meets a stranger who would unknowingly change his entire life with the help of another unexpected visitor. Vampire!Harry HarryXOC No real "pairing" One-shot unless there is a push for more. (My first fanfiction bear with me here.)


Okay, this is my first attempt at a fanfiction, and it is unbeta'd so bear with me. It is staying a one-shot unless people push for me to go further. Flames and any review welcome. Remember my dear readers that all the characters except for my OC belong to the lovely and wonderful J.K. Rowling and I wouldn't be here writing this if they did. Harry is probably OOC so please forgive me. This is fanfiction after all, yeah? Enjoy my lovelies.

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Harry was utterly bored.

Staring at his ceiling, trying to think of anything but the disaster at the DoM. His loss of Sirius was still raw and aching. 'Why did I have to just rush in again? Snape is right, I'm too thickheaded for my own good, or anyone elses' for that matter.' Harry thought to himself. Looking over at the empty cage that usually housed his beloved Hedwig, he sighed and turned to look out the window into the darkness.

For awhile now he considered the shadow to be an almost constant companion. No matter where he went or what he did, the dark was all encompassing and forgave him any misdeed. It did not seem to Harry was harsh and strict as the light. In the day, anyone could see him and point out his flaws and actions. In the night, he could hide.

He could sometimes even be himself.

Deciding he had had enough wallowing in his own self pity, Harry snuck up to his door, knowing his Order guards would be away for an hour or so. Hoping against hope that Vernon had somehow forgotten to lock his door, he turned the handle and it miraculously glided open with little effort. Not wasting any time, he closed the door behind him, sneaking silently down the stairs and made hi way to the front door before sneaking to the park nearby.

Sitting on the same swing he had been for the past nine years, Harry looked up at the stars and swung lazily back and forth. "Too bad the starts aren't always out like this." He murmured to himself.

"Technically they are always out, merely you cannot see them" said a low tenor voice behind Harry. Spinning around and going to grab at his non-existent wand in his pocket, Harry silently regarded the man standing there. He was imposing, at least two meters tall with black hair that was tinted ever so slightly red in the moonlight. He had a thin face with eyes that glowed with an almost preternatural light, and their color was a looming storm-cloud grey.

"Who are you?" Harry asked guardedly.

"My name is Rímaxan, however my colleagues have shortened it to Ream." The other man spoke. "Did you need something?" Harry sat back down, keeping his eyes on Ream. "I was wandering through when I saw sitting on the swing and decided to see if you wanted my company." He walked to sit beside Harry on the swing, his black boots leaving an imprint on the ground and his robes, a deep red, swishing ever so slightly as he sat down.

"I guess it couldn't hurt." Harry shrugged, looking up at the stars and he craned his neck back to see the dots of light. He heard Ream chuckle and looked inquiringly at him. "You shouldn't stick your neck out like that, Harry. You wouldn't want to tempt my dark tastes now would you?" Ream whispered to him.

Harrys eyes widened as his looked at Ream, just noticing the fangs looming behind Reams mouth. Harry immediately sat up, staring at him with an open look of curiosity. "They always taught us at Hogwarts that vampires are bloodthirsty, insane monsters. Below human intelligence." Harrys curiosity was quickly taking over his initial sense of alarm.

"You shouldn't believe everything you hear without question. Obviously I am none of those things. I see I have your curiosity peaked, what is it that has you so interested?" Ream asked him. "Well, I've never told anyone this, but after reading some of the muggle vampire books that my Aunt deigned to give to me, I've always wondered _whvbitwofeli.."_ Harry mumbled the last part in embarrassment.

"Repeat that last part. I cannot understand 'embarrassed teenage mumbling'." Ream joked lightly.

"Okay, here goes, Iwaswonderingwhatavampirebitewouldfeellike!" He rushed out as one breathless word. He did not expect the vampire to start laughing, his head thrown back. With a final chuckle, Ream smiled a kind smile, one that exposed the the three fangs on either side of his front teeth, starting with his eye teeth and each fang behind the eye tooth progressively smaller. Harry had the sudden impulse to touch them and went to reach out before snatching his hand back with a warring expression.

"I am not going to bite, Harry. Not if you don't want me to." Ream said the last part with a wink. Harry looked somewhat relieved, and started to swing again, gripping the chain harder, forgetting the jagged cuts that Dudley and his crew had gouged into the metal when they were getting up to no good. The metal tore a ragged cut into his palm, and he quickly stuffed his hand into his armpit, looking over at Ream. Ream was looking at Harry with eyes the color of a burning orange sunset. He smiled at Harry sadly.

"As I said before Harry, I am not an animal, and I have had centuries to practice my self control. I am not going to hurt you." Ream put a hand an Harrys shoulder reassuringly. Harry calmed down and proceeded to look at the cut on his hand, nothing that would leave a scar and would scab over in a few days. Putting his hand in his lap, Harry made a decision.

"Ream, you may not know this, and I have no idea why I am telling someone I have barely known for all of fifteen minutes, but I am tired of living up to everyone's expectations. I want to do something that I want to do, you know?" Harry looked determinedly up at Ream and squared his shoulders. "Ream, as weird as this may sound coming from the bloody Boy-Who-Lives, I want you to do something."

"And what would that be?" Ream asked even though he thought he knew where this was headed.

"Bite me." Harry stated levelly. Ream did look somewhat surprised anyway, but he looked seriously into Harry's eyes. "Are you completely sure, Harry? You are offering blood to a vampire who you barely know." Ream kept staring at him. Harry nodded. "I trust you, it's like a sixth sense. I know you won't hurt me and this is my chance to live for myself, take a risk."

"If you are completely sure, then I will gladly accept. It is not everyday a wizard offers you their blood. Just stay relaxed, this will hurt at first. Keep calm and don't panic." Harry nodded again and bared his neck slightly towards Ream. Very cautiously, Ream bent down and breathed in deeply, taking a last look at Harry, who was watching the stars. Finding Harry's pulse point, Ream bit down and he heard Harry gasp.

Harry, who did indeed feel the initial pain of the bite, was in a blissful calm. The books that he had read did not do this feeling justice. He felt that all was right with the world until he heard a very familiar voice calling in a rather alarmed manner.

"Potter! Run!" Snape's voice carried loudly through the empty park, and Ream snapped his head around to face Snape just in time for a cutting hex to slice his throat. Blood spurted from his wound and Harry, who was watching with his mouth agape managed to get a fair amount of blood in his mouth, swallowing out of reflex. Ream put his hand over his neck and looked to Harry who was looking more ill by the second. "I'll be back, Harry. Please, take care of yourself." With that, Ream was enveloped in shadow and disappeared.

Harry fell to his knees, clutching his guts and curling inward with a groan and an agonized expression. Snape rushed over and kneeled beside him. "Just what in Merlin's name are you doing out here, unprotected, with a vampire Potter!?" Snape yelled at him. Harry just looked at him helplessly and fell over, still clutching himself and convulsing. Snape sighed furiously and knew he could do nothing at this point.

Harry eventually stopped moving and his arms fell limply to the ground before he tried to get up again. Snape, however, held him down.

"You are not moving from this spot until you tell me what happened here Potter. Every word, every detail, now!" He snapped. Harry scrunched his eyebrows and searched Snape's face. "Why.. why do you feel different.. more like me?" Harry was very confused and Snape only got more annoyed.

"You should know this by now Potter, but I guess your limited intelligence can't handle it. You, by some incident that is sure to give me a migraine, have been turned into a vampire, much like myself. Now, once you get over that fact, tell me what happened, Potter!" Snape bit out. Harry blinked a few times, slowly processing the information that was given to him. He then proceeded to tell Snape the goings on of the past half hour.

"Professor, where does this leave us? I can't go back to the Dursley's or to Dumbledore, which you were probably here to bring me back to him." Harry questioned.

Snape scowled and answered. "I think that since your creator is otherwise engaged, I should take the responsibility of caring for you. I don't like this at all, but we can't have a newborn vampire running around the streets. You will come with me to Spinner's End, my home. We will talk more there. Now get up." Snape stood up and waited for Harry to do the same.

Harry quickly stood up and brushed himself off, looking around in awe of his surroundings. He only then realized his glasses had fallen off but made no move to retrieve them. He saw Snape waiting impatiently and mused to himself. "I can't ever have anything normal happen to me. Not the bloody Boy-Who-Lives-To-Be-Different." He paused. "Professor, are you sure about taking me in? Ream said he would be back."

"As much as I would love to keep you as far away from me as possible Potter, this is for the good of everyone around you as much as for you. I will apparate us both to my home, and quickly before one of the Order members comes back and finds us here." Snape sneered again and Harry walked quietly up to him, grabbing his arm to Side-Along Apparate.

"For as much as it's worth. Professor, I will try to learn everything you teach me. I want to be as normal as possible even with the circumstances. I hope I can prove myself unlike my father whom you hate so much." Harry spoke subdued but with honesty.

Snape's sneer softened ever so slightly and he answered in a slightly more polite tone. "See that you do Potter. Otherwise having you live with me would prove to be the end of my sanity." After that, they both apparated to Spinner's End to start what would most likely be a long and nerve wracking experience for both of them.

Well, that's that. It will stay a one-shot unless you, my dear lovelies, demand it be extended. In that case, I will have to do some serious thinking. Rate, review, anything really. Bare with me here, I tried not to let Snape be too OOC, and I hope I did well. This is my first fanfiction, unbeta'd, and inexperienced. I hope you enjoyed my dear lovelies.

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-UnlightedShadows


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